Climate-Themed Fest With Sheryl Crow, Flaming Lips, the Roots Postponed
The Big Climate Thing, a multi-day festival set to take place in New York City next month with the War on Drugs, Flaming Lips, Sheryl Crow, and more, has been postponed.
The Climate Control Projects, which was set to host the event, said in a statement, “Collectively, we felt that if we couldn’t produce the event in a way that met the high standards for participation, impact and sustainability that are the foundation of The Big Climate Thing, then it was the responsible choice to postpone until we can.”
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The organization added they will try to bring “a renewed” version of the festival back in 2023 “to create a platform for those who truly inspire us with their commitment to creating a more just, equitable and habitable planet. And some of the best music on Earth.”
Those who purchased tickets to the Big Climate Thing on AXS or by phone will have refunds issued within 30 days. Other refunds will be available at the original point of purchase.
The Big Climate Thing was set to take place Sept. 16 through 18 at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York, with the goal of raising awareness on the climate crisis. The lineup also included Haim, the Weather Station, Sunflower Bean, Khruangbin, Courtney Barnett, Princess Nokia, Gary Clark Jr., and more.
“I think music, along with all the cultural industries, have spent way too long sitting back on this issue,” the Weather Station’s Tamara Lindeman tells Rolling Stone. “I believe music plays a primarily emotional role in people’s lives, and as such I think it has huge potential in pushing us to recognize our tangled emotions around this topic. When I imagine a stadium full of people coming together for a climate event centered on music, what I imagine is an enormous opportunity to feel a solidarity that has been so missing here. I truly hope that an enormous in-person event can have some power to bring people together and create some common experience around climate, and push those in attendance to examine their climate feelings and push through them enough to act.”
“I believe that music is one of the most powerful communication tools we have on this planet, way deeper than just words could ever express,” added Sunflower Bean’s Julia Cumming. “Music has to power to influence people’s decisions by touching their hearts and relating to them on the human condition. We are all facing the same problem: this is all our home and it happens to be on fire. If we can figure out how to properly utilize music in this era of the climate crisis, I know more good could be done.”
This story was updated 8/22/22 at 1:55 p.m. ET with the announcement that the Big Climate Thing had been postponed.
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